A closer look at Smilla Holmberg's impact on Arsenal
The 19-year-old Swedish international arrives from Hammarby with impressive attacking numbers – but can she adapt to the demands of the WSL?
Earlier this month, Arsenal secured the signing of highly-rated Swedish teenager Smilla Holmberg from Hammarby.
Widely regarded as one of the most exciting young prospects in the women’s game, the 19-year-old is unlikely to immediately transform Arsenal’s starting XI. However, her arrival does add genuine competition for first-choice right-back Emily Fox and provides much-needed depth as the Gunners approach the business end of the season.
The move may also serve as an early indicator of Arsenal’s wider summer overhaul. With uncertainty looming across several key areas of the squad and six first-team contracts set to expire at the end of the campaign, Holmberg’s signing initially appears to address a secondary concern rather than the club’s most pressing needs.
That said, let’s take a closer look at what the Swedish international will bring to the Gunners and how she could fit into Renée Slegers’ side.
Life in Sweden
Holmberg is the latest Hammarby import into the Women’s Super League (WSL), with the Stockholm-based club well known for its long-term model of developing young Swedish talent before selling them on to Europe’s elite. Recent examples include Manchester United’s signings of Hanna Lundkvist and Ellen Wangerheim, while Arsenal's Australian international Kyra Cooney-Cross also developed at the club.
Having progressed through Hammarby’s academy, Holmberg made her senior debut at just 15 years old and has since amassed 96 appearances across four seasons, winning the Swedish professional league, the Damallsvenskan in 2023, while also being part of the side that qualified for the Uefa Women’s Champions League in October 2024 for the first time in their history. During that time, the youngster has established herself as a key figure in the side, starting all 26 of Hammarby’s league fixtures during the 2025 season as the first-choice right-back.
Holmberg’s profile aligns closely with that of the modern attacking full-back: dynamic, aggressive and heavily involved in the final third. Her game is built around progressive, high-energy runs. She wins the ball high, takes on opponents and consistently contributes in advanced areas. Those qualities were reflected in her underlying numbers during the 2024-25 UWCL campaign, where she ranked among the competition’s standout full-backs for ball progression and chance creation, averaging 3.60 progressive carries per 90 (96th percentile among full-backs), 3.15 shot-creating actions per 90 (76th percentile), and 1.35 successful take-ons per 90 (84th percentile, FBref).
Her attacking output in the 2025 Damallsvenskan season further underlined that threat. Holmberg recorded 10 goal involvements (six goals and four assists), ranking fourth among her Hammarby teammates (FBref), while also leading the league with 126 successful dribbles (Sofascore). Her per-90 figures emphasise her influence within a Hammarby side that regularly utilises wide overloads to break defensive lines: 4.8 successful dribbles per 90 at a 78.3% success rate, alongside 2.0 accurate crosses per 90, representing 20% of her total attempts (Sofascore).
These strengths are best encapsulated in Hammarby’s 3–0 victory over Linköping in September 2025, a match in which the teenager scored twice.
Despite registering just one interception, her sole defensive action of note in that fixture, Holmberg completed nine of her 10 attempted dribbles, generated 0.75 expected assists, delivered 10 crosses (three successful), and recovered possession eight times. Performances of this nature highlight her role as almost a wide playmaker within Hammarby’s system, functioning as a primary creative outlet either through crossing or direct ball-carrying into dangerous areas.
Such form across recent years earned Holmberg a senior international call-up in May 2025 ahead of the European Championships, where she became the youngest player in the Sweden squad. She made her mark on the tournament with a crucial goal in Sweden's 4–1 win over Germany, driving past multiple defenders before finishing, albeit with a slice of fortune. While she later missed a decisive penalty against England in the quarter-finals, the setback has not derailed her development.
Nonetheless, given the freedom afforded to her in Hammarby’s attacking system, questions remain over her defensive consistency. This area will likely come under greater scrutiny following her move to the WSL, which poses a sharper, faster transition threat than the Damallsvenskan.
Across the 2025 league season, the 19-year-old won just 0.3 aerial duels per 90 and recorded 5.8 recoveries per match, while winning 8.6 total duels per game (Sofascore).
However, such low defensive contributions may be because Hammarby are so dominant, averaging 61% possession per league game last season (Footystats). Therefore, this does not highlight an inherent flaw in her game, but the need to be tested more defensively in volume, something she will certainly face in England.
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